Chase McDaniel Releases Debut Album: ‘Music is How My Soul Communicates’

Chase McDaniel has released his debut album, Lost Ones, and along with it, he’s working toward a major goal in his personal life.

The Kentucky native co-wrote each of the 12 tracks of this upcoming project while Lindsay Rimes produced. Through years of hard work and healing, he’s created a collection of songs that hold nothing back as he dives into his personal journey. By sharing these vulnerable stories, he hopes to bring hope and strength to those who feel lost and to break the stigma around mental health, something he’s battled firsthand.

“These finished songs are like the light at the end of the tunnel,” McDaniel admitted.

Back in his college days at the University of Louisville, McDaniel’s life took a major turn. While training for a weightlifting competition, he suffered a serious head injury, which resulted in memory loss, a revoked scholarship and a newfound enemy in the gym. To make matters even worse, all of this occurred within months of his father’s death.

This accident definitely left its mark on the Big Machine Records singer-songwriter. Ever since then, any effort to return to the gym has triggered overwhelming panic attacks. However, with Lost Ones on the horizon, McDaniel is on a mission to show himself, and all of his fans following along, that it is possible to overcome even the toughest moments in life. In order to do this, he has set a goal to bench press 250 lbs, nearly twice his body weight, by release day. Even if McDaniel doesn’t achieve his desired outcome, he will still be making major strides in a new direction.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Chase McDaniel (@chasemcdanielmusic)

Writing these songs has proved to be therapeutic for the rising act. So far, fans have gotten a taste of what’s to come through raw songs like “Lost Ones,” “Risk It All,” “Heart Still Works,” “Made It This Far” and his debut single, “Burned Down Heaven,” which landed him in the Top 3 most-added songs at country radio.

With a full project out now and supporting dates with Jason Aldean ahead, Chase McDaniel gave Country Now an exclusive look into the album, his current goals and his milestone performance set to take place at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, NJ, on October 10.

You co-wrote every track on the album. Do you feel like, in a way, writing these songs and diving into these personal experiences has been a form of healing for you?

Of course. I believe music is how my soul communicates. The lyrics throughout this record are words that I’ve needed to hear all my life, but no one else could give me because I had to save myself. When the words came, it was like I was hearing them for the first time. The relief I felt when I finally communicated a feeling I’ve never had words for is unparalleled. These finished songs are like the light at the end of the tunnel. It lets me know the hard part is over and my perspective is shifting. So yes, writing this album was absolutely healing, but it was also the product of the years of hard work I did outside of writing. Counseling, spiritual growth, sobriety, and surrounding myself with people who facilitated that. 

The title track “Lost Ones” contains very powerful and vulnerable lyrics. Can you share a bit about that writing process and why you chose this as the title of the whole project?

I wrote “Lost Ones” with Josh Miller and Chris LaCorte. Josh had been listening to a song of mine called “Somebody Like Me” on the drive over to that writing session and was inspired to write a song about my story. I pitched out the idea “the lost ones always find me” from my song book, and the rest was written in under an hour because I had a flight to catch. It wasn’t until later that I realized what we had written that day. It was just so unique, yet the lyrics were everything I’m about. When I sing, “Lord knows I’ve been lost as I can be,” I mean that someone had to pull me back over a bridge seconds before I jumped. Feeling forced to live with the monsters in my head for so long was absolute hell. But I’m better and I’ve done everything in my power to take that pain and turn it into a purpose. I want to be a part of the wave in Country music that ushers our culture to speak up and remind everyone that there is strength in honesty. But there’s absolutely no way I can do that alone. We do it by lighting a fire in one person at a time. I named the record and title track “Lost Ones” because this album isn’t for me. It’s for the lost ones in the hope that they might find a fire with me and then go find each other. 

With this being such a personal project on top of being your debut album, how are you feeling leading up to the release?

I feel a lot of pressure for it to be successful, not necessarily because it’s personal, but because I have invested so much of my life into this project. For as long as I can remember, I’ve put parts of my life on hold to make this work. It’s really hard to write personal songs and find other writers who want to open up like that. I went around town for months until I convinced a couple writers to write about more than trucks and beer with me. What I love most about Country music is the freedom to tell a damn good story. I used to think my pain, or my family’s pain, being heard would make it matter, but I’ve changed my mind. It already matters. I just didn’t think enough of my own opinion until now. If my story doesn’t matter to anyone else, that’s perfectly fine. It matters to me. 

Your debut single, “Burned Down Heaven,” landed in the Top 3 most-added at country radio. What was your reaction to see that song achieve such success right out of the gate?

Radio is ALWAYS going to be important because of the human connection. When the right song comes on the radio at the right time, it feels divine – like God knew you needed a little help right then. You don’t get that from anything else. I’ve had that right song come on for me a few different times in my life and it’s been my dream to be that song for somebody else ever since. That’s why I’ve been on a radio tour since February. The stations that have already added “Burned Down Heaven”did not have to add my song. They are inundated with new music and having those champions means so much. I am aware that they are taking a huge chance and even sticking their neck out for me. I just want them to know I’ll do the same. When I found out that I had a song going to Country radio, I went back to the trailer I grew up in to soak in just how far I’ve come. I ended up running into our old landlord and spent most of the night crying. It had to be a God thing, just like the radio has been for me so many times before. 

You’ve set a big goal to bench press 250 pounds by the album release. What made you choose that as your benchmark and what will it mean to you to achieve that?

I’m currently learning just how big of a goal it was I set out for (haha). I was a competitive weightlifter in high school and college and actually won a state and national championship. Then, I had an accident in the gym that changed my life forever. I woke up in a CT scan machine with a neck injury, a bad concussion, and amnesia. I didn’t know who I was. It was like a movie. I’ve had horrific panic attacks walking into a gym ever since. It used to be my best friend. Now, it’s my worst enemy. I’m taking it slow, but I’m worried I won’t make it to 250 lbs. I’ve lost all my muscle over the years, and I thought I would bounce back quicker. But I made a promise to my fans that I would give it my best shot. I preach “you can overcome your chaos,” but I’m still pretty bad at sharing when I’m struggling. The truth is, I still struggle a lot. It’s much more manageable than what it used to be, and most days are good. Right now, I’m still having panic attacks, and it sucks, but I’m just trying to do it anyway. Maybe that’ll be the takeaway. “It’s hard. Do it anyway.” If I do make it, it’s going to be full circle. I had to totally reinvent myself after that accident. I left the old me behind, but I’d love for him to be a part of me again, or at least the part that had a champion mentality. I’ll leave the ego and the meatheadedness at the scene of the accident.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Chase McDaniel (@chasemcdanielmusic)

You’ve already released several songs off the project, how has it felt seeing listeners live with these songs? Are you finding that a lot of fans can relate to what you’ve been sharing? 

This is the most personal music I’ve released, and seeing the fans reminded of their own strength is everything I’ve set out to do. I got slipped a napkin by someone in a restaurant recently and it said, “‘Made It This Far’ saved my life.” When I got to my car, I cried. This life is hard, and you’re supposed to pretend that it isn’t. It’s those moments where someone humbly speaks up and you know it’s real. It’s hard to admit some of these things that we go through. God knows I hid it for years and it nearly killed me. For someone to share their story with me because I helped in some way is the biggest honor and the greatest purpose of my life. I’ll listen every time.

“My Side Of The Family” is out now. You’ve shared a bit of the song’s inspiration on social media, but can you give us a bit of a deeper dive into the story?

I finally went public (on social media) with my girlfriend of four years. We met at the bar we both worked at during the pandemic. I was trying to make as much money as possible to save up for my Nashville dream, and she was the head bartender. I played it cool and eventually got the good shifts. I’d walk her to her car when we got off work at 3 a.m., and then we ended up adding her wiener dog to my one-bedroom apartment at the time. One of the first serious conversations we had was about my dream to be a singer-songwriter and her dream to be a mother. Something about that conversation felt disarming. I guess it turned on my “protector” mode, and I decided I wanted to keep her safe because she seemed so nice – she was extra nice to me, like way nicer than a girl should be to a dude with no money and no prospects for a decent future. Good thing I’m funny. Long story short, she’s been ready for a family. Me? We’re still talking about it (haha). I didn’t think it’d be this hard, but being in a relationship exposes you to all your unhealed wounds. And I’ve got a lot of them. I don’t want to bring a child into this world to be an extension of my unfinished business, but I do want to bring the most magical thing in the universe into existence, a human being. Then you have the important job of raising them that I don’t want to mess up. 

My relationship with my dad was so complex and I still haven’t uncrossed all those wires. He was my Superman. And when he was sober, he basically was. I loved him and I thought being his son made me special. He was a town legend because he was big and strong. He was hilarious, charming, and the life of every room he walked in. But he disappeared a lot. He got mean a lot. I heard and saw things that would traumatize a grown man. Before he died, my grandparents told me that he went on vacation, only to find out from a friend that he was sharing a jail cell with their dad. Then he died. I lived with my grandparents when they had just lost a son. I got his old room at their place, I was accidentally called by his name all the time, and was constantly reminded by everyone that I was just like him – it made me confused about who I was. I felt guilty for even being sad or angry because losing a dad – or not having one – was supposed to be less hard than losing a son, or a brother, or a husband. Too dark to put all that in the song though, huh? Well, I got another one coming! 

You’re set to play a big show this fall with Jason Aldean. How are you preparing for this night?

Jason was the very first Country concert I ever went to. It was 2014 at the Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY. I was in the nosebleeds and there were only two rows behind me to reach the ceiling. It was all I could afford, and it was one of the best nights ever. He sounded better than the records. I left that night knowing exactly what I wanted to do with my life. It was a spiritual experience for me. I’ve met Jason a couple of times because we have the same agent. He actually discovered me from that bar I worked at because my manager would tease me and play my music over the speakers, and here we are. Jason is a class act – he’s like Country music’s Elvis to me. We’re taking it show-by-show right now. We have a ton of new songs in the setlist and not a lot of time to rehearse while being out of town. The best thing I do to prepare is work on my mindset. I’m an absolute basket case before any major performance. I almost had a heart attack at the Opry. Opening for Jason won’t be much different. When I’m able to be present and loose, I perform better, sing better, and speak better. Sometimes the adrenaline inspires you to go off the rails and do something special like the speech I gave at the Opry. Sometimes it’s an absolute train wreck. I’m going to try to avoid that! When you have as many diagnosed mental illnesses as I do, performing is a balancing act on top of everything else. However, I truly can’t wait and am so grateful for the opportunity.

Fans can keep up with Chase McDaniel on Instagram.